Resetting the Board: When Monopoly Meets Bitcoin

Before You Dive In:

—— Monopoly and Bitcoin were both created in response to economic inequality and instability during times of financial hardship.

——  Each grew into a cultural phenomenon that impacted how people understand money, property, and the financial norms of their times. 

——  The Limited Edition Ledger Flex™ + Monopoly Bitcoin Bundle, made in partnership with Gomazing, is a perfect convergence of these two iconic inventions.

Written by Ariel Wengroff, VP Communications

Anyone who’s ever played Monopoly, the world’s most famous board game, will have experienced its unrivalled potential for instigating feuds. The clue is in the title. It’s a ruthless winner-takes-all game, but did you know it was originally designed to critique, not celebrate, financial inequality? That message may have been lost as our appetite for gamified empire-building remains, but so do the problems of zero-sum economics. So we think it’s time to reset the board, blending the game’s enduring competitive appeal with a tool that offers financial freedom – Monopoly Bitcoin from Ledger and Gomazing

The Collectivist Roots of The World’s Most Capitalist Game

In 1904, Elizabeth Magie created “The Landlord’s Game” to illustrate the dangers of concentrated land ownership and promote a land value tax system as an alternative.

Magie laboured tirelessly to define two distinct rule sets: a “prosperity” version where all players were rewarded when wealth was created, and a monopolist set where players crushed their opponents through accumulating property and extracting rent.

She hoped players would naturally prefer the cooperative version, developing an intuitive understanding of economic fairness that could extend into the world outside of the game. Of course we know now that things went a little differently. The winner-takes-all version captured public imagination, spreading through colleges and communities before reaching Charles Darrow, who repackaged it during the Great Depression as Monopoly.

Parker Brothers purchased Darrow’s version in 1935, paying Magie a mere $500 for her patent rights with no royalties, and marketed it as Darrow’s invention. Magie’s name and economic message were largely erased from the narrative. Only recently has she received the posthumous credit she deserves.

The Parallel Intentions of Bitcoin and Monopoly

Though separated by a century, The Landlord’s Game and Bitcoin were born from remarkably similar circumstances. 

Over a century later, another financial crisis birthed another innovative idea about money, which wasn’t just a critique, but a true alternative. 

In October 2008, as global markets crumbled and governments bailed out banks deemed “too big to fail,” a whitepaper authored by the pseudonymous Satoshi Nakamoto introduced Bitcoin to the world.

Bitcoin Monopoly: Fun Financial Education for a New Generation

Like Magie before them, Satoshi also believed that a radically different approach was needed to address a fundamentally flawed system—one that challenged assumptions about money, value, and centralized control. That said, whereas Magie’s game simply used a parlour-game to suggest an alternative system based on shared prosperity, Satoshi flipped over the board and rewrote the rules. Bitcoin redefines the way the world works – a permissionless money independent of bankers.

A Bitcoin version of Monopoly is therefore a symbolic union of two parallel critiques. Just as traditional Monopoly models our real-life financial system, this version models some of the most important concepts around Bitcoin. Real estate properties cede board space to some of the most important events in the cryptocurrency’s history, and the historic playing tokens are given an update to reflect important parts of blockchain culture – including a specific game-changing hardware wallet. 

Monopoly has always been a fun way of learning the truth of our economic system, its properties, tokens, and gameplay mechanics embedded in our collective consciousness. Bitcoin is a tool actively being used to solve the problems Monopoly illustrates. That’s why Ledger feels the time is right to combine the two in a limited edition bundle, including a Ledger Flex™, allowing players to be their own bank IRL.

By attaching blockchain concepts to widely known game elements, the Bitcoin edition of Monopoly makes the potentially intimidating world of cryptocurrency approachable and engaging. 

The Limited Edition Ledger Flex + Monopoly Bitcoin Bundle

Ledger and Gomazing have teamed up to bring you the ultimate collector’s bundle for those who play to win. This limited edition set includes a Ledger Flex hardware wallet, the Monopoly Bitcoin board game, and a mystery voucher worth up to $500 in Bitcoin, making it that much more exciting to open up this special edition for the first time. It’s a winning combination of education and entertainment, allowing players to play, learn, and stack some Sats all at the same time.

The Monopoly Bitcoin board game reimagines the classic game for the cryptocurrency era. Though the game’s zero-sum premise remains, it’s a great conversation starter on financial education for a new generation, teaching through play just as Magie envisioned. Paired with the next-gen Ledger Flex hardware wallet with secure touchscreen, the Monopoly bundle combines the reliable security of Ledger with a thrilling Bitcoin twist on the world’s most iconic game. 

Our limited edition bundle takes the experience of Bitcoin Monopoly to the next level, honoring the shared legacy of these two influential ideas about money, counterculture that became simply culture, and ultimately changed how millions of people think of value. 

In a world where financial literacy remains as important as ever, the most important lessons will continue to come from these kinds of games and experiments that this special release celebrates: from Elizabeth Magie’s dining room table to Satoshi Nakamoto’s computer.

The Limited Edition Ledger Flex™ + Monopoly Bitcoin Bundle is available now. Don’t pass go – get your limited edition Ledger Flex™ x Monopoly Bitcoin bundle before it’s too late. Level up your crypto game with a new Ledger Flex™ complete with a Monopoly Bitcoin board game, and receive a mystery Monopoly Bitcoin voucher worth up to $500* in BTC.